Pure Darkness
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: Two beings linked to darkness cross paths again and again, even if they don't always recognize each other, or remember the encounters. Could these cursed shadow powers actually lead them to their true selves? Or will someone beyond darkness or light ruin them both? KouichiTerra Friendship
1. Shade 0: Nigrescence

_Hi there, and welcome to my first crossover in...actually, I think this is my first serious crossover attempt. Complete, mostly-clear canon of Digimon Frontier versus incomplete, anything-but-clear canon of Kingdom Hearts. This should be fun :)_

_This fic is for the Digimon Non-Flash Bingo (prompt: If you leave now, you'll lose everything), The Mega Prompts Challenge (the quote used at the start of the story), The Story Starter Challenge (the first line of the story), The Crossover Challenge, and, most of all, this is my b-day fic to reminiscent afterthought! :D Also, a shout-out to Higuchimon for helping with the planning of this fic!_

_This was originally going to be a oneshot, but it was just getting too long, so it made more sense to make this a multichap. It'll be about 4 to 6 chapters, depending on how things go and how I decide to split up the chapters. _

_For reference, this fic was posted on April 30th 2015, so if Kingdom Hearts TealBlue/NightMareSquad/SquaredForever or (gasp) Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out and contradicts this story in the future, just consider it AU. As of now, certain plot elements/theories are based off of what is current as of April 30th and earlier. Regardless if this is an issue or not, I hope you enjoy this fic!_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon Frontier or Kingdom Hearts. If I owned the former, all electronics would be at my command. If I owned the latter, all the UNIVERSE would be mine! :D At least according to Kingdom Hearts lore, which may or may not be accurate...Oh well..._**

Pure Darkness

"_I've learned that people will forget what you say, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou_

**Prologue: Nigrescence **

You can compare him to anything _but_ a phoenix. Phoenixes went out in one bright ball of fire, a grandiose death show lighting the way to their next life. They knew when that death was coming too, as they laced their self-sacrificial nests with fragrant twigs and herbs. It must be nice to be a phoenix, to get all that attention for a death that wasn't even a real death.

Kouichi was oblivious as he stepped outside his house that day. The dark-haired and dark-eyed boy didn't know that if he left now, he would lose everything.

His death had no warning or glory. One moment he was running, frantically chasing after a brother he had never spoken to, a twin he had already lost sight of. For another moment he was flying, as he was sent airborne above the long set of stairs. Then he plummeted, consumed by darkness as his head struck the unforgiving tile floor.

Now, he continued to fall in an endless blackness. Was that all death was? Just eternal falling? Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

A pinprick of light flashed above, and another plunged into the darkness headfirst. He was an older teenager with strange clothing and brown hair that was almost black. His blue eyes looked dazed.

"What?…Where?…The castle…The princess…" the unknown adolescent murmured, before noticing Kouichi below him. "Who are…?"

But Kouichi never got the chance to answer, for he was seized by cold tendrils of darkness from below. He shrieked in surprise and terror as it wrenched him down. He reached out his arm desperately to the one above.

The other's eyes suddenly snapped into focus and alarm, as a thin metal weapon abruptly formed in his hand. A sword…no, it looked more like a club, but that wasn't right either. He dove down and chopped at the expanding shadows clutching Kouichi.

"Hang on!" he shouted, as he blocked a blow from the smoky strands using his sword-club. "I'll get you out of here!"

The whole situation was so surreal. Here Kouichi was, stranded in darkness, being swallowed by a darkness _within_ the darkness. Then here was someone who looked like he belonged in another time period, another world even, straining to free him with a sword-club thing. It boggled Kouichi so much that he didn't know what to say.

But his savior was losing ground (darkness?), as the mass of wisps dragged Kouichi farther down. Or maybe the other boy was being pulled up, as the light above seemed to grow stronger. When swings of his club-sword missed, he began throwing it, the bizarre weapon returning to him like a boomerang each time. Sometimes he cast fire or lightning instead. All of it only temporarily slowed the threads of blackness. His expression grew more angry and anxious the further the gap grew.

_Why are you so desperate to save me? _thought Kouichi_. You don't even know me. This darkness could swallow you too! _He strained to reach further, despite his growing hopelessness. _This can't be…_

"No!" the dark-haired boy shouted, as even his flung weapon and magic failed to strike. He outstretched his arm, summoning vaporous filaments of darkness himself. They extended with shocking quickness and wrapped around Kouichi's own arm. Kouichi was surprised by its heat as much as its sudden appearance.

Kouichi's body jerked to a stop as the older boy tried to pull him up, his expression now determined and cold. Kouichi thought he could feel the lower tangle slipping off him. But then the older boy's eyes went from icy to frightful, as he became aware of the darkness he was using. The tendrils abruptly unraveled, and Kouichi was wrenched into the blackness below.

He saw the other boy reach out again, truly scared now, even as he was pulled into the light and Kouichi into the deepest darkness.

_So this is my fate after all…_thought Kouichi, the last of the lingering warmth on his outstretched arm soon fading in the nigrescence_. I'm sorry…You tried…Whoever you are…_

_IIIIII_

_So that sets up Kouichi's and Terra's first encounter, and it won't be the last :P. This chapter was a bit short, but, well, it was a prologue. Following chapters will be more like 3000-6000 depending._

_On Terra being in the darkness: for Terra, this takes place when Maleficent manipulates Terra's darkness to "possess" him, so here Terra's heart and/or soul is briefly displaced and plunged into the Dark Realm, where the encounter with Kouichi happens. Terra returns to the Light Realm, and to his body/consciousness, soon after. Because this happened so quickly and when Terra was in an entranced state, Terra doesn't really remember it later._

_So what do you guys think so far? Like? Don't like? Interesting? Boring? Just let me know :)_


	2. Shade 1: Dance of the Shadow Puppets

_Hi again! Here's the second chapter! It's a bit on the short side, but I hope you enjoy anyway! :)_

_Thanks to Aiko Isari for betaing this for me, and for everyone who has read/reviewed/faved/followed this story so far!_

**Shade 1: Dance of the Shadow Puppets**

Duskmon did not remember much of his lower form, nor did he care to. The black skeleton warrior's purpose was to serve Cherubimon, the one who brought him into being, and to destroy all enemies and liabilities. He was not here to make friends, or even allies. He was here to show the power of Cherubimon, to spread fear through the many eyes on his body. No extra connections, emotions, or opinions were necessary.

Being Cherubimon's most powerful servant, Duskmon had freedom to do as he pleased most of the time. So he often wandered the Digital World, slaying anything that crossed him. His meanderings brought him to odd things: digivolutions gone wrong, areas not loaded properly, abysses that seemed to dive even past the Digital World itself. These in particular he liked to explore, because they had a darkness even deeper and richer than Cherubimon's. It brought a…comfort of sorts, being in this undiluted obscurity. He could soak in it for hours, easily finding his way back when he needed to leave.

Sometimes, such chasms even led him to other worlds. Massive jungles ruled by apes. Hedge gardens overrun by talking cards. Deserts where magic and genies flourished. He did not stay in these worlds long, for he had no business there, but they were interesting distractions. He mentioned them to Cherubimon, but his lord was mostly concerned with conquering the Digital World first, which was perfectly understandable and practical.

But there was one world Duskmon liked to haunt in particular. It was a wasteland, littered with weapons long discarded and forgotten. He wondered if it had been a living world once. But he didn't come for the sights. He came for the hollow knight.

The gold-and-black armor appeared cast away like everything else, kneeling down with its hands resting on its weapon. But whenever Duskmon approached, it would greet him with something like telepathy: Duskmon only heard faint metallic sounds instead of words, but somehow understood it. The hollow knight would rant about darkness, often asking why Duskmon had come to bother him again. Duskmon liked to knock off its helmet if it prattled on for too long. The encounter always lead to a battle.

What an opponent the hollow knight was! It endured a thousand blows with ease. It flew about faster than fire, blasting strange magic and launching combos that Duskmon could barely parry. Sometimes it preferred to turn its weapon into a bladed vehicle to run Duskmon over, or into a whip, or a spinning cog, or even a mammoth cannon. Even with these bizarre abilties though, it often came down to a match between swords, or sword and sword-club…why did that seem familiar?

Sometimes Duskmon was defeated, though the armor never killed him. When Duskmon asked why, it seemed unsure itself. Other times Duskmon left the hollow knight scattered on the lifeless sands, though it always reassembled itself a short time later. It was excellent training regardless, much better than those other pathetic Legendary Warriors, enemy or ally.

They would talk while both of them rested. More accurately, the armor talked, while Duskmon half-listened and occasionally commented. Often the subject was darkness and light, and how light was good and darkness was bad and other ramblings that Duskmon couldn't care less about. He still stayed and argued anyway. Did he really need a reason?

_You've let the darkness consume you, _said the armor, standing with its club-sword planted in the ground. _It is only a matter of time before it will destroy you. Fight it, while you still have a chance._

"Darkness is my element," said Duskmon, as he had said many times before. "I could no more turn against it than turn my powers into water. I have no reason to be ashamed of it." He smirked, though he knew the armor couldn't see it. "Just as darkness is your element as well."

_It is not! _protested the armor, yanking the sword out of the ground and pointing it at him. _I refuse to be part of the darkness! To be among the likes of you!_

It was so amusing, and so easy, to get the heap of metal riled up. Duskmon didn't know why he enjoyed this so. Perhaps this was the pleasure one got from picking on lower kin? For he sensed the darkness that writhed just below the surface of the armor's power, eager to serve and rend for its master. Yet this hollow knight held it back with great effort. It was both laughable and shameful.

"Why so afraid?" asked Duskmon. "Your power is great, yet it could so much greater."

The armor dropped its sword-club into the sands again, as if had suddenly become too heavy. _I have lost so much to darkness. My friends. My body. My heart. I gave in to darkness time and time again, and in the end it consumed me. _It sunk to its knees, with its hands still on its sword. _My master…I destroyed my master because of the darkness inside me…Master…Master, please forgive me…Master…_

The armor become still and speechless. With no more reason to stay, Duskmon left the hollow knight to his nightmares.

IIIIII

Duskmon's visits to the hollow knight became habit. Duskmon couldn't quite name the reason. Probably it was for the sparring, both physical and verbal. Maybe it was because Duskmon wanted to know more about that darkness the knight bore, a darkness that he struggled to grasp and understand. Perhaps he could recruit the hollow knight, if he could get its bizarre darkness to come out. Maybe it was to get his mind off of other things, like the light-wolf whose core resembled his own so much, and whose very name caused him pain.

_Perhaps he's someone important to you, _suggested the armor, as the two of them dueled on the dead sands. _Or someone who will be important to you in the future._

"Why should anyone like that be important to me?" growled Duskmon, blocking a series of swipes.

_None of us can predict destiny_, said the armor, knocking Duskmon back with an exceptionally strong strike. _It steers us to the people we need to meet, and the things we need to do._

"I only need to destroy my opponents, not understand them," Duskmon replied, firing several lasers that the armor nimbly dodged.

_But maybe he's not meant to be an opponent_, said the armor. _Maybe that's why you feel pain when you attack him._ _Maybe he's your light. The one to lead you out of the darkness._

"I told you my element is _supposed_ to be darkness!" Duskmon snapped, his sword sending the knight's helmet hurling. Duskmon was slammed onto his back by a huge ice blast in turn. As the half-frozen Duskmon groaned, the hollow knight got up and retrieved his head, putting it back on.

_I do hope you can find your light, whether it be that wolf or something else_, said the armor, going down on his knees. _Everyone has light inside of them…even you…even…_

Duskmon lay there sulking even as the knight went silent once more. Spitefully Duskmon fired an eye laser and struck off the knight's helmet again. The helmet shot back and hit Duskmon in the head before returning to its inert frame.

IIIIII

Duskmon prided himself as a fighter. What else mattered but power in the end? Only the hollow knight matched him in strength, and it had no interest in conquering anything. It just fought for the sake of fighting, no data or prizes at stake, and that was refreshing rather than threatening.

Then there was the Void Man.

Duskmon found him wandering the Darkness Continent. He bore a long white cloak, grimy and frayed at the edges from travel. Unfettered dark-silver hair, slightly tangled, flipped about in the wind, as did his short beard. Arctic gray eyes, framed by ragged scars, narrowed upon spotting Duskmon, like he was a spider trespassing across the man's path.

"So you have become lost as well," said the man. With a resigned sigh, he raised his hand and summoned a legion of glowing golden chains around him. "Once, I may have pitied you. Now, the only mercy I care to grant is the destruction of your darkened form. May you not waste your next life as you have wasted your current one." The chains spiraled forth like crazed serpents, accompanied by sharp spikes of light.

Duskmon struggled to fight off the swarm of chains and shots of radiance. Even a graze caused searing pain. Duskmon's own sword strikes and laser blasts did nothing to them, and soon he was entangled and lifted into the air.

The man retained the same stern expression as before, even as Duskmon tried to break free. Somehow this harsh silence made Duskmon angrier than if the man had started gloating. So Duskmon tried to analyze the man's heart with his memory technique, to better figure out who he was dealing with.

He was greeted by an abyss that could swallow oceans. He caught fragments among the emptiness: the man meditating in a field, the man waging war against strangely-shaped creatures, the man instructing sword swings to a blue-haired girl, a blonde-haired boy, and a dark-haired boy…

"May obliteration be brought to all darkness," said the Void Man, as if he was still instructing his students. The free chains morphed into whips of light. "And ruthless retribution to all who surrender themselves to shadows."

Duskmon screamed as he was helplessly battered by rounds of radiance. He did not know when he lost consciousness, or when Cherubimon himself had interfered and whisked Duskmon away with his darkness. He did know the steep disappointment Cherubimon had with him, and the feeling of utter disgrace at being overwhelmed so effortlessly, as well as a new emotion: fear.

Every now and then he heard rumors about the Void Man, destroying some darksome thing that may or may not be related to Cherubimon. Sometimes Duskmon went to investigate himself, wanting a rematch and redemption, but he was always gone, or was never there in the first place.

What was the Void Man? Human? Digimon? Glitch?

IIIIII

One time, the hollow knight struck Duskmon with a copy his own laser attack. It shocked and angered Duskmon more than it hurt him.

It seemed to shock and anger the hollow knight even more. _What? A D-Link? With someone like you? I suppose there was Maleficent, but…no, I refuse! I want nothing to do with darkness! _Leave!

The armor rushed at him with a ferocity previously unseen, with patches of its armor shining bright-red. Spells, slashes and clones of Duskmon's own attacks were flung wildly. It was all Duskmon could do just to block and evade the assault, and even many of those defenses were unsuccessful. But Duskmon had fought enough desperate opponents to know that the armor was berserk from fear as well as rage.

_What's he so afraid of? _wondered Duskmon. _He's winning the battle. In fact he's stronger than I've ever seen him._

Duskmon felt the darkness before he saw the purple-black aura materialize around the hollow knight. As it billowed off of the armor like steam, the knight abruptly grew calm and still. This only made Duskmon tense, however, because he was now in the presence of that hidden darkness he had so wanted to see. It was glorious, far surpassing Cherubimon's, and possessing a noble grace Duskmon had never seen in any darkness.

_It feels almost…divine,_ thought Duskmon. _Is such a thing possible for darkness?_

If Duskmon struggled before, then he stood no chance now. He spent more time airborne than on the ground as he was juggled by rapid-fire sword strikes and dark bursts. Despite their quickness, each hit was precise. Soon Duskmon laid sprawled on the ground, his body burning from benighted blows.

The armor, still cloaked in dark aura, walked over to where Duskmon lay, but did not raise his sword-club to land a finishing move. Instead, he used Duskmon's memory technique, and Duskmon felt him probing through his memories, including those fuzzy to him.

_So you _are_ that boy, _said the armor with a detached somberness, and Duskmon thought he almost heard a real voice instead of metallic echoes. _Now the D-Link makes sense. Someone else I failed to save. I apologize for what you have become._

Something about this greatly irritated Duskmon, even though the armor's words made little sense to him. Out of a cocktail of resentment, spite, and inquisitiveness, Duskmon unleashed his own memory attack on the hollow knight.

At first Duskmon thought he had encountered another internal chasm like the Void Man, but soon he sensed something at the bottom of the black well, though it was bound somewhere far away and impossible to touch. More importantly, the memories came more freely, even if there was a hazy gloss coating them.

Some memories showed the armor in battle, or in the black tunnels Duskmon himself often used for travel to other worlds. But most showed an older teen boy with deep brown hair, a boy Duskmon could've swore he had seen before. He saw the boy in his home of grass mountains and holy temples, being with friends, sleeping under the stars, looking up to those stars with great desire. Training to become ever stronger, sometimes to the point of pushing his friends away. Sometimes pushing himself until he could no longer lift his blade. Sometimes pushing himself to the point of collapse. All the time thinking _I want to be strong, I want to be worthy of the light_. All that time being told _We must defend light from darkness, for our enemy is darkness. Do not let yourself be taken by darkness. _

Then, the first darkness, the first failure, the first venture into worlds beyond his own, and over and over he fights, and over and over the darkness comes ever greater. He is a servant of light. Why is that when crisis comes, it is always darkness that comes to his aid and never his beloved light? Yet when the crisis was greatest, when the darkness came to him in droves, he lost everything: body, heart, friends, purpose. He followed his heart like he was taught, he believed light come overcome anything, yet it led him to darkness? Why was it why why _why_-

Duskmon was abruptly kicked out the spiraling memories and thoughts. The hollow knight was bent down beside him into his resting position. Bits of darkness still hovered around the armor.

_Leave_, said the hollow knight, his tone tired and bitter.

Duskmon didn't answer as he got up and began to limp away. So the hollow knight was the fragment of a human who bore darkness naturally. How strange. How familiar. Perhaps Duskmon would ask him more the next time they battled. How did a human become only a suit armor? What happened to his friends and his world? Why was he still ashamed of his darkness, if it was his natural element?

And what _was_ a D-Link anyway?

IIIIII

Duskmon was soon too busy with missions to think much about any of it. The opposing Legendary Warriors were becoming more troublesome, particularly the boy who turned into a light-wolf. Duskmon didn't even have time to visit the hollow knight.

Many things happened at once. Duskmon became weak, and then strong, and then weak again, and then enraged, all because of this light-boy and the other humans. He became doubtful, and then resolved, and then mindless and monstrous, then weak again, then stronger and more monstrous than ever before as his powers reach new heights. As his powers twisted and broke, leaving him…human. He was a human. Had always been a human, he realized. A human named Kouichi. Duskmon was nothing but a shell. Like that armor.

Duskmon crumbled like the sands of the dead battleground, where the hollow knight waited expectantly, even when locked in dreams, for something, anything.

_IIIIII_

_It was fun writing these two together. In a weird way they deserve each other XP (well, maybe that's being a bit mean to The Lingering Sentiment, but still...). Btw, does anyone know who/what the Void Man is? :) _

_Does everyone seem IC here? Do the timelines/theories make sense? Please let me know, b/c it'll be important for future chapters._

_Next chapter is written, but needs some serious adjustments and betaing, so it probably won't show up for another week or two._


	3. Shade 2: Night's End

_Hi again! Sorry for the delay, I've been busy in real life, and I was having issues getting this chapter to come out right. Still not sure if I'm completely satisfied with it, but I'm tired of messing with it, and you're probably tired of waiting :P. This and the previous chapter probably should have been combined. Oh well. Hope you enjoy!_

**Shade 2: Night's End**

Kouichi didn't know what to say on the Trailmon ride. He had always had that problem, now that he thought about it. When his dying grandmother told him about his twin, he didn't know what to say then either. When he finally found his brother, Kouji, he was once again struck dumb, and didn't know how to even approach him. So he lingered in the shadows, his element even then.

Now he stayed silent among the Legendary Warriors that once had been his sworn enemies. Saying sorry wasn't enough for his awful acts as Duskmon, even if those memories already had a crusty film to them. They had forgiven him, apparently, saying he was manipulated and tricked, but Kouichi knew he was still at least partly to blame. He became corrupted because he allowed himself to become corrupted. He wanted power for once in his life, a sense of control. The deal with Cherubimon had given him both and neither.

Kouichi glanced down to his D-Tector as the others chatted away. It was little wonder that his element was darkness. He never cared to be in the center of attention, preferring to watch others play rather than join them. He loved to hear crickets and frogs sing in the night. There was both thrill and solace in darkness.

The Spirit forms stored in his D-Tector were not the evil warriors Duskmon and Velgemon, but the noble lions of Loewemon and JagerLoewemon. He himself had unlocked that power, because he needed that power to save his new friends. The force that flowed through him then, as he stood as a lion warrior…it was so different from Duskmon's cold strength. This darkness blazed with the urge to protect allies as well as rend enemies. It was brutal, merciless even, but always justified. Like a knight. Like…

There was a knight in a desert far away, who always spoke of light and darkness. He had been right on many things, Kouichi realized now, but he was wrong on one: Darkness could be _good_. Darkness was only evil when used for evil, just like any other element. He would become Loewemon and JagerLoewemon before him, just to see what the knight would say then. Would he say anything at all?

But there was no time for that now. Kouichi and other Legendary Warriors had far more corrupt knights to deal with, in the form of Dynasmon and Crusadermon and their determination to revive Lucemon. Petty rivalries, or whatever it was, could wait. He wondered why he let such a thing bother him in the first place.

IIIIII

Kouichi and Kouji had been patrolling the outskirts of a town as JagerLoewemon and KendoGarurumon, white wolf and black lion walking side by side. They had not said much to each other, but that was normal, sadly. Kouichi had finally met his twin properly, and then the Digital World spiraled into bedlam. Weeks, maybe months of travel, and they still barely knew each other. All topics inevitably turned to their string of losses and what to do to stop the streak of destruction.

Kouichi was trying to think of any conversation not related to the possible end of the Digital World when they came across the Void Man, ambling along like he was leaving from a long shift of work. Kouichi, remembering the last encounter too keenly, felt his heart race. Kouji noted Kouichi's reaction and automatically moved in front of his brother.

Against Kouichi urgent wishes, the Void Man noticed them immediately and stopped. He regarded them with what seemed like a mix of puzzlement and disapproval. "Light and darkness, side by side? Why do you not devour each other?"

"We're brothers," Kouji replied, the natural snarl of his beast form becoming even deeper.

"Brothers?" answered the Void Man. "What a strange and unfortunate fate." He shook his head. "But it does not matter. It is too late for this world. Soon it will succumb to darkness, like countless worlds before, and countless worlds will afterward."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" exclaimed Kouji angrily. "We're fighting to save this world! If you've been fighting for this world too, why don't you fight with us?"

"Because I realize now that this world is not worth fighting for," the Void Man answered. "This world has no heart."

"No heart?" asked Kouichi. "What do you mean?"

"It means this is a false realm," said the Void Man. "It is just an outgrowth of another world. Not even the darkness will find anything to feed on once it collapses. My effort is best spent elsewhere."

"But there are living beings here!" protested Kouji. "How could you turn your back on them?"

"How could real beings spawn from a world with no heart?" asked the Void Man. "I have wasted enough time here." A dark portal opened up before him.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kouji shouted, running after him.

"Kouji!" Kouichi yelled, pursuing his brother.

In moments both were caught in a tangle of chains. Kouichi bit back pained shouts as the chains burned him. Kouji either wasn't affected or was too angry to care, as he snarled and bit at the chains.

The Void Man paused to study the writhing specimens. "…No, these are not your true forms." He walked up to Kouji, who roared and tried to sink its teeth into him. The Void Man didn't even blink when the teeth snapped shut a half-inch from his face. "And you, perhaps you can redeem this world. Perhaps you can redeem other worlds. Perhaps you can even redeem your tainted brother. But cast off that false shell. It only cages you."

."What are you talking about?" growled Kouji, thrashing against the chains more. "I need the Spirits' power to fight! And I'll fight for this world even if it kills me! But I guess you wouldn't get that, coward that you are."

The Void Man frowned, turning back to the warping blackness before him. "Squandering a heart like yours on such a petty place…Is the fate of all hearts to return to darkness after all? No, I will not stand for it. If only I still bore a Keyblade…"

The Void Man vanished through the portal. As the warp closed the chains dissolved into light, releasing both twin beasts.

Kouji picked himself off the ground, shaking with rage. "The nerve of that guy! Acting all noble, and then just…whatever. Let's go Kouichi. The others must be wondering where we are by now."

Kouichi followed, skin still burning and heart still hammering.

IIIIII

"But what do you think that guy meant by all that?" Kouji mused aloud to Kouichi later, as they were trying to doze off that night. "The Spirits are the only fighting chance we've got, but he made it sound like they were a burden or something. Or do you think he was talking about something else?"

"I don't know," Kouichi mumbled, arm laying over his eyes. Why did his brother have to be so talkative now? "Does it even matter? He's gone now, for better or worse."

"Yeah, guess so…" Kouji answered. Kouichi heard him roll over. "Just…dammit, we need all the power we can get. If there's something else…"

Kouichi didn't answer the pause, so the silence settled in. With nothing else to be said, Kouichi feigned sleep. Judging by the constant tossing and turning he heard nearby, Kouji wasn't getting much rest either.

IIIIII

Kouichi hoped for a second chance at life, even though he suspected he might not get it. If that chance ever existed, he threw it away at the battle with Lucemon.

The sacrifice took little thought for Kouichi. He wanted to save the real world, the Digital World, his friends, his brother. So he flung himself in front of Lucemon's attack, and felt himself disintegrate. How different this was from his other careless, clumsy death in the real world. But this time he went in peace, bestowing the Spirits of Darkness to his brother before he felt the remainder of his data being scanned by Lucemon. Let him scan it. Digimon like him knew nothing about soul. Soon it would be empty code that would only slow him down. It would be another distraction, giving the others another chance to strike. He knew they could bring down Lucemon. Right now he would just be in the way.

He found himself adrift as a lone soul in the sea of darkness again, but this no longer frightened him. Instead he easily located a passage hidden in the blackness, one of millions of dark corridors. His time as Duskmon had taught him that skill.

Kouichi wanted to see the others again, but he knew he couldn't, not like this. Maybe one day, if he got stronger and could control darkness without Loewemon's help…

In the meantime, there was another ghost he wanted to talk to.

After a surprisingly short trip, Kouichi arrived in the wasteland of the knight. To screams. Blinding blasts of light. Burning chains.

Kouichi froze. The Void Man was _here_. Fighting the knight, who was desperately evading the white-cloaked man's myriad attacks.

_Master! Please_! the hollow knight pleaded, riding his blade vehicle to avoid a mass of chains. _I don't want to fight you! Not again! Not like this!_

Kouichi didn't hear the metallic voice that Duskmon had so many times, but the voice of a boy only a few years older than him. A voice that he recognized, but couldn't place.

The Void Man remained unmoved, chains spiraling around him. "You think your pitiful words will earn you _forgiveness_? That they will undo what you have _done_?"

A pillar of light erupted beneath the blade vehicle, throwing the hollow knight skyward. While airborne he was struck multiple times by both chains and light blasts, and he fell to the ground with a loud clatter. He was up again at a moment's notice, barely avoiding a series of light eruptions.

_I know I can't be forgiven! _yelled the hollow knight. _I gave into my darkness, and I did terrible things. But I will set things right! Even if it destroys me!_

"You will set things right?" questioned the Void Man. "Do you realize the full extent of your transgressions? Darkness is swallowing all worlds, accelerated by the machinations of _your_ lost body and heart. Dark creatures called Heartless, _your_ creations, are plunging even the pure into oblivion. I fight the darkness, the Heartless, and all other abominations for the sake of extending the world's life for even an hour, even when my life should have ended with our duel."

_Master-_

The Void Man began to shine with a white light. "And you claim you can set things right? With what power? Your poor judgment? Your darkness? Your lost soul, buried in your armor and stranded in this vile battlefield? Even I know it is a hopeless situation, even as I fight on."

The hollow knight frantically struggled to deflect both the chains and the light beams firing from all sides. Some of the reflected light zipprf by Kouichi's head.

"To think I once cared for you," said the Void Man, and he looked almost regretful. "To think that I once cared for anything other than fighting the darkness. But all that is gone, a casualty of both your carelessness and mine. Never again." He shone a brilliant, blinding white, and all his chains melted into pure light, whipping about wildly among frequent eruptions of light from the ground. The hollow knight quickly rendered defenseless by the powerful and rapid attacks. Cracks were forming in the armor as the pieces strained to stay together.

_I've got to do something! _thought Kouichi, horrified. He had defeated and even scattered the armor as Duskmon, but it had never bent or cracked under the combat.

But before Kouichi could think of what to do next, the Void Man noticed him. Without a word or even a movement, some of the light whips snapped their way toward him. Kouichi reached for his D-Tector, only to realize that he no longer had it or the Spirits of Darkness with him.

The light whips collided with something else instead. Kouichi didn't even know how the hollow knight had gotten there so fast, but he did hear sharp snaps and cracking. To Kouichi's alarm he noticed several of the light whips had pierced through the front of the armor. A dark aura blazed around the armor, its heat felt even from feet away.

_You shouldn't be here, _said the hollow knight. _Master! Leave this boy out of this!_ _He…He was never…_

Cracks spread rapidly, and the armor fell away like metal leaves. Left behind was a spirit, an older boy with brown hair that was almost black, his chest still pierced by the light.

_This boy…The boy in the darkness, all that time ago…? _thought Kouichi. "A-Are you…?"

The older boy glanced back at him and gave a faint smile, though it never met Kouichi's scared gaze.

The Void Man gave a huff of disapproval. "So even that won't end you. A pitiful existence you are indeed."

The older boy's eyes became downcast as he spoke. "Please don't judge this boy. He was dragged into darkness because I couldn't save him. Yet another whose fate was my fault. But that darkness is gone. I sense only lingering traces of it now."

From afar Kouichi's thought he heard voices. His friends' voices, and his brother's. A light appeared in the sky above, and Kouichi thought he felt the presence of the Celestial Digimon.

"See? Beings of light are calling for him," said the older boy with the same faint smile, looking to the light longingly. "He can still be saved. He can go home."

Kouichi stared at the light with mute wonder. The others…really wanted him back that badly?

"Go," said the older boy. "Others are waiting for you, and the light can only stay here for so long." Indeed, the radiance was shrinking as he spoke. "The life you once had…the life you should have…if you leave that now, you'll lose everything."

Yes…Yes, he did want to go back. Kouichi felt himself pulled by the warm light, and begin to ascend.

The other youth watched him rise, before turning back to the Void Man. "Master…everything you've said is true. I'm a traitor of the worst kind, taken by darkness when I should have served the light. I should never have gone out on my own, or doubted your teaching, for now I have become…" He halted, swallowing, his calm eyes suddenly brimming with anguish. "Master, seal me and my power. I cannot control my darkness. Make me a servant of the light again, and don't let me go astray. I know it won't be enough to repair what I've done, but if I can atone even a little, even if it's just to add another hour to the universe's life…"

_No, that's not…_Kouichi thought, still being pulled upward.

The Void Man still frowned, but his features seemed gentler somehow. "Very well. It is a fitting punishment, and if there's any true cure to be found, perhaps it lies with the one that was key to starting it all." His body gave off a blinding light, appearing more like a pillar of fire than a man.

The light whips all reformed into fine white chains, including the ones that lingered in the older boy's chest. He cried out in pain.

"No!" shouted Kouichi, stretching an arm toward him. This boy didn't deserve this. How Kouichi wished he could summon darkness to reach the older boy and take him with him. Suddenly he remembered when this boy had tried the same, all that time ago, the warm darkness that attempted to pull him out of Cherubimon's cold clutches.

The older boy looked up and smiled wanly, even as the chains formed sphere cages around him. "It's alright. This needs to happen, to contain my darkness."

"No it doesn't!" shouted Kouichi. "The darkness you have isn't evil! You're a good person! Please believe me!"

There was only silence at first, as the circular cages of chains drew ever closer together, threatening to obscure the older boy from sight. Kouichi was about to shout his name, only to realize that he didn't know it. He couldn't even see him for all the chains.

…_Go, _the older boy's voice finally resounded in his mind, already a weak echo. _…Have a chance. Cherish…Don't…lose everything. Like I…_

"No!" Kouichi yelled, but he was sucked into the light.

IIIIII

Kouichi woke up in the hospital, his friends and his brother crying tears of joy. He cried happily with them. He was alive. Lucemon was defeated. Both the Digital World and the real world were saved.

So why did he also feel this deep despair?

_IIIIII_

_Alright, so that wraps up the canon for Frontier, but that hardly means things are over. No, they'll only be getting more crazy from here on out. But that's where the real fun begins :P._


	4. Shade 3: The Leading Lights

_Hi again everyone! For the next 2-3 chapters we'll be following Kouji's POV, b/c there's going to be a lot of stuff happening around him, and not so much with Kouichi. A lot of new chars coming in this chapter too, who may (or may not) be familiar faces to some of you. _

_Also, as for the naming quirks in the fic: I'll be using the Japanese names for the Digimon kids and such, but using English terms._

**Shade 3: The Leading Lights**

Kouji supposed he always liked combat. That's why the dark-haired boy took kendo ever since he was seven. Granted, he didn't get any good at it until he was ten or so, but he still enjoyed it because he got to swat people with a stick. Too bad he couldn't do that to the annoying people in school. But he had more control than that, the difference between him and a bully or a brawler. The teachers always said he was mature for his age, long hair and brown-striped bandana aside.

That was what Kouji thought too, until he went to the Digital World. There he experienced real fighting, real friendship, and found a real twin. Why did he find more reality in a simulated world? And now that he was back in the real world…

Things weren't perfect, but they were better than they were before. His and Kouichi's families, previously denying each other's existences, were now united by the near-tragedy of Kouichi. Speaking of which, Kouichi was alive. Plagued with headaches and bad dreams, but still breathing. To think he almost lost his brother when he barely knew him…There were so many things that had been almost lost, or actually lost, while he was in the Digital World.

But he, and everyone else, were back here now. That was what mattered, right? Now they could just brag or laugh about their exploits as the Legendary Warriors over lunch. Then it was off to class, or clubs, or home. Peaceful, like how it was supposed to be.

…Right?

Kouji wasn't sure why he went to kendo class anymore. He had far more skill and experience than any of his classmates, and beat them effortlessly. He suspected he could even take on the teacher easily, but he avoiding challenging him because…what? Because he still wanted to go to class even though it was pointless? Because he didn't want to humiliate his teacher? Because he wanted to hide how much he had changed?

…Because he didn't know what else to do with himself? He had become a hero, fought alongside other heroes, defeated enemy after enemy, saved and repaired a whole world. Every kid's fantasy, done in scant minutes in real-world time. What was there left to do? Kendo tournaments? School? Corporate job? Marriage and a baby carriage? They all seemed so pathetic compared to that one hot flash of adventure, already gone.

…Now what?

IIIIII

Kouji pounded on the practice dummy in his backyard viciously, because he had no other plans. Takuya had soccer practice. Izumi was out at the mall with friends. Tomoki was spending time with his brother. Junpei was preparing his magic act for the talent show coming up. Kouichi was already in bed, complaining of another migraine.

The crudely-drawn smiley face on the dummy (an artistic addition by Takuya and some magic marker) seemed to mock Kouji even as it shook from the blows. _You're weak now_, it seemed to say. _You could have destroyed me in one shot if you were still a Legendary Warrior. But you're just a human now. It doesn't matter how much you train. Even if you win the best tournaments, even if you become the strongest human, you will never be as strong as you were as a Legendary Warrior. Never._

Kouji kept battering the dummy anyway, even as old wounds began to ache.

After a while Kouji heard his husky dog's high-pitched welcoming yips, and guessed that his parents was home after another trip to Kouichi's doctor. Maybe Kouichi was feeling better and had come along too. His dog's incessant barking probably wasn't helping then.

"Stop! Get it! Friend! Hello friend. Stop licking!"

That wasn't his dad, or Kouichi, or anyone else he knew. Kouji abruptly stopped his practice and spun around.

His dog was gleefully bouncing around a boy about ten years old. He had dark blue hair, with one long lock to the side that was tied up by red bands, tanned skin, and golden eyes. His outfit looked more like what a tribesman would wear, with a tan top, loose orange shorts, a ragged dark-green cape, a feather necklace and white war-paint on his cheeks.

"Who are you?" asked Kouji, pointing his wooden sword at the stranger. It wasn't the kid's strange looks that bothered him, but the fact that he had managed to sneak up on him without him noticing. _No one_ had been able to do that since the Digital World, not even Kouichi.

The bizarre boy looked up to Kouji, while carefully avoiding the dog. "Hi! Me Ikuto! Nice to meet!"

"Uh, you too?" answered Kouji, thrown off by the boy's odd speech. _This kid's pretending to be a savage or something? I just don't get most younger kids these days._ "I'm Kouji. What are you doing in my backyard?"

"Watching," answered Ikuto. "Me see you strong fighter. Know how to strike good and fast." He took out a large red-and-white boomerang that had been hanging off his back and assumed a battle stance. "Want to fight?"

_Seriously? _thought Kouji. "Well sure, if you-"

Ikuto flung the boomerang at him, forcing Kouji to duck. It shot over his head with a loud _whoosh, _nearly blowing off his bandana.

_Geez, that could've taken my head off! _thought Kouji. He rolled to the side to avoid the weapon's return.

Ikuto caught the boomerang, and then slashed at Kouji with it. Kouji blocked the rapid strikes with his wooden sword. Then Ikuto jumped away, hopped onto the fence, and then sprang forward with another flurry of attacks.

_What _is_ this kid? _wondered Kouji as he evaded the next set of blows. _It's like I'm fighting a Digimon! _He saw an opening and struck, but Ikuto dodged the blow and kicked him in the side. Kouji yelped (of course it had to be _that_ side) and retaliated with his own storm of strikes, all which Ikuto nimbly avoided. _Damn he's fast._

Ikuto bounced back and launched himself from the fence again, but Kouji deftly blocked the lunging attack. While in midair Ikuto slung the boomerang at him, which Kouji rolled away from. During that brief opening Kouji rushed forward and nailed Ikuto in the shoulder. Ikuto gritted his teeth and grunted, but seemed otherwise unfazed. Kouji barely dodged the returning boomerang, and took the defensive again as Ikuto unleashed another onslaught of attacks.

It went back and forth like colliding tides, the two of them eluding and thwarting each others' hits as leaves crunched underfoot. For a few moments, it felt like he was Lobomon again, fighting off another world-devastating foe.

But the fantasy couldn't fend off fatigue, and soon Kouji was panting and leaning heavily on his wooden sword. His body was sore from exhaustion and the chain of blows he had taken a minute ago.

Ikuto, only a little winded, rested against a tree. "Good fight."

Kouji smiled. "Yeah."

Ikuto stood up and put away his boomerang. "Fight again sometime?"

Kouji straightened and put his wooden sword on his shoulders. "Sure. Where?"

But Ikuto didn't answer, instead leaping over the fence and disappearing from sight.

Somehow Kouji expected that kind of response.

IIIIII

Ikuto didn't come back the next day, or the day after that. But on the third day the golden-eyed wild child showed up in Kouji's backyard again, and once again they sparred. Once again Ikuto left the less ragged of the two. Once again Kouji was left wondering how such a young kid could be so strong, and where he even came from.

So it went for the next two weeks. Kouji never knew when Ikuto would pop up, but he was always ready. The battles, meaningless as they were, were sparks scattered in an otherwise mind-numbing routine. Finally, a worthy opponent. Something worth training for.

Kouji mentioned Ikuto to Takuya and the others, who found the boy both fascinating and hilarious. Kouichi seemed a bit worried, but Kouji assured him it was just good-natured scraps. Still, Kouji was glad that they hadn't met Ikuto yet: Kouji wanted to be strong enough to beat Ikuto first. Losing by himself was bad enough, but losing while all his friends and his brother were watching…Though seeing Ikuto scare the crap out of everyone with his inevitable sudden appearance would be almost worth it.

But Kouji's suspicions suddenly shot up when Ikuto's eyes _glowed _during one of their more intense matches. They didn't glow red or even yellow: instead his golden irises abruptly shone with a bright white light, like there was a halo trapped beneath the surface of each eye.

"What?" asked Ikuto, when Kouji backed off and took a defensive pose. The light in his eyes soon faded, leaving what seemed to be genuine confusion. "Something wrong?"

"What are you really?" growled Kouji. "Are you a Digimon?"

Ikuto dropped his fighting stance, as his expression became solemn. "…Don't know."

"You don't know?" asked Kouji, lowering his wooden sword. "What do you mean you don't know? Either you're a Digimon or you're not." _What am I saying? Like I have any right to talk…_

Ikuto shook his head. "Me grew up in Digital World. Others call me human…" He rested a fist in the center of his chest, and there was something almost sad about the motion. "But me no feel like human. Outside, human. Inside, Digimon."

Kouji didn't know what to say to that. He had never heard of such a thing. But it did explain a lot about Ikuto, including why he was so good at fighting. Kouji had spent months (relatively) in the Digital World, but Ikuto had spent _years _there. To not know if you were human or Digimon…Kouji wondered if that would have happened to him and the others, if they had stayed in the Digital World longer. Kouichi's brainwashed state as Duskmon didn't count.

Ikuto snapped out of his thoughtful reverie. "You know Digimon too?"

"Yeah," said Kouji. "I was a Legendary Warrior."

"Legendary Warrior?" asked Ikuto. "Me no heard of it."

Kouji frowned. _Have they forgotten us already? _He knew it wasn't the Digital World's fault, because time flowed so much faster there, but it still irritated him that his one great accomplishment in life was already fading away.

"But me from other Digital World," Ikuto added. "Many other Digital Worlds out there. Which you from?"

_There are other Digital Worlds? _thought Kouji. He shouldn't be surprised, now that he thought about it. If there was at least one other world beside the real world, why couldn't there be more? "Uh, the one ruled by the Celestial Digimon Ophanimon, Seraphimon, and Cherubimon. Does that help?"

"…Oh right! We there recently!" answered Ikuto. "Everything peaceful and happy. They talk about Legendary Warriors. They Digimon though. They your partners?"

"Something like that, I guess," said Kouji. "We used their Spirits to digivolve."

"You turn into Digimon?" exclaimed Ikuto with wide eyes. For the first time he put on a wide grin. "That amazing! Me wanna see! Can me see?"

"I can't do it anymore," Kouji replied, looking down. "I lost that power when I left the Digital World."

It hurt a little to see Ikuto's excitement deflate. But it was quickly replaced by determination. "Maybe Hikari help! She good with powers!"

"Hikari?" asked Kouji.

"This way!" said Ikuto, and suddenly Kouji found himself being yanked along. He had to run to keep up, as the wild child hurried him out of the suburbs and toward a more desolate part of town.

"Where are we going?" asked Kouji.

"There!" answered Ikuto, pointing to a vacant white building with the paint peeling off.

"_That's_ where she lives?" _He's taking me to some witch doctor or something, isn't he?_

"One place we live at," said Ikuto. "We have many places to live."

Ikuto dragged Kouji through the half-open door. Before Kouji had a chance to look around, Ikuto suddenly stopped and Kouji ran into him.

Ikuto seemed unfazed by the bump. "Hi! Back! Have friend! Hikari here?"

As Kouji rubbed his shoulder, grateful his arm was still in its socket, he finally took in his surroundings. It looked like an abandoned warehouse, but it was surprising well-lit and clean. There were some posters of soccer stars, action anime, and trains on the walls. The air smelled like apples, and Kouji soon spotted many apple scent-bead containers stuck in several nooks and crannies. There were two long white lines painted down on the floor, several feet apart and stretched from one end of the building to the other.

There were three other kids. A chocolate-haired boy was kicking around a soccer ball, his sneakers reverberating loudly in the huge space. He wore goggles, much like Takuya, and a white shirt, which _no one_ would wear to a soccer match because it would _never_ keep clean. He kicked the soccer ball into the small goal net over and over again, his shots more showy than practical. He wore a grin that told Kouji he was fine being the lone star in his soccer game.

Yet another gogglehead, this one with a shirt that was one-third white and two-thirds red and white goggles that looked brand new, played chess with a boy with gravity-defying hair and a white handkerchief tied around his neck. The gogglehead seemed to be winning, as his black pieces significantly outnumbered the white. While the gogglehead calmly contemplated his next move, the other boy was organizing his deck of cards.

The boy with the soccer ball was the first to notice them. "Hikari's out with the old man. Who's Bandana Kid?"

"I'm Kouji," Kouji replied. "Who are you guys?"

"Daisuke's the name," said the soccer boy. He pointed over to the other two. "Guy looking over his cards is Ryo."

The boy named Ryo offered a quick wave before going back to sorting his deck.

"Guy taking forever to make a move is Taiki," Daisuke added.

"Some things shouldn't be rushed," countered the boy named Taiki, before turning in his chair and smiling. "But it was rude of me not to introduce myself earlier, so sorry about that. Glad to meet you, Kouji. What brings you here?"

"Him," said Kouji flatly, pointing to Ikuto.

"Kouji strong!" exclaimed Ikuto. "Me know! Me fight him! Kouji Legendary Warrior! But need Hikari's help!"

"What, is he sick?" asked Daisuke, kicking his soccer ball aside and walking up to inspect Kouji. The soccer ball rolled into the goal anyway. "Looks fine to me. Anyway, you must really be something to impress Battle Freak here. He's even calling you by name already."

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Kouji, though he didn't know why Ikuto would be awed with him. Ikuto's battle skills and experience were superior to his, digivolution or not.

"Anyway, Hikari and the others should be back anytime now, so pull up a chair and make yourself at home," Daisuke went on, before glancing around the vast abode. "…Well, don't have any spare chairs here, but at least we've got a couch. And hey, that's more comfy than a chair anyway, right?" He shuffled Kouji over to said beat-up sofa before Kouji got a chance to offer his opinion on the subject. "Just hang tight, and I'll get a bud of mine to get a drink for you. Hope you like Orange Fanta, 'cause that's what we've got." He turned away from Kouji. "Hey, Freddie, get us some Fanta!" Then he went back to his soccer ball and started kicking it around again.

Ikuto walked up to the couch, though he didn't sit down. "Daisuke like talking."

"I've noticed," said Kouji. "So you guys just hang out here all day?"

"We actually have pretty hectic schedules," said Taiki. He finally moved one of his black rooks forward, claiming a white knight. "This is just one of many bases we have set up, for whenever we need a breather."

"Or sleep," added Ryo, quickly taking out Taiki's rook with his own. "I forget about that sometimes."

"And then you make stupid mistakes like that," said Taiki, as the boy with the white goggles swooped in on the enemy rook with his queen. "Checkmate."

"Oh man, got me again," said Ryo with an embarrassed grin. "This is why I stick to cards."

"What, you went against Taiki in chess and expected to _win_?" asked Daisuke.

"At least I know how to play chess, unlike you guys," countered Ryo, still smiling.

"Too boring," said Daisuke.

"Not battle," added Ikuto.

"Really you guys…?"

Kouji wordlessly listened to the banter as he leaned back on the couch. Part of it was boredom, but another part was him just relaxing. For all the empty space and disrepair, there was something comforting about this place, with these kids he barely knew. It was so different than the constant energy of Takuya and the other ex-Legendary Warriors, or even those quiescent times with Kouichi.

"Thanks Freddie! Ikuto and that Kouji guy are over there," Kouji heard Daisuke say just as he was closing his eyes. The bandana boy was further distracted when he felt Ikuto plop onto the couch next to him, apparently eager for his drink.

So when Kouji turned to see his soda being handed to him by a humanoid silvery _thing_ with tendrils instead of hands, and a strange symbol where its face should have been, Kouji understandably panicked and whacked it with his wooden sword. The creature bent back at a bizarre angle before abruptly righting itself. It hissed as it dropped the soda bottles and lunged at Kouji.

The creature was subdued in seconds, as Ikuto knocked it back with his boomerang and Daisuke kicked it down before stomping on its back. There it was again, the halo glow in Ikuto's eyes, and Daisuke had it too, his expression wintry as the silver thing cried and wriggled pathetically under Daisuke's foot.

"That's why we don't use those as waiters," said Ryo, both he and Taiki looking back at the scene. They too had lost their jovial tone from before, though they didn't seem worried or angry either.

The light faded in Daisuke's eyes, and the smile suddenly snapped back into place. "Aw, I thought I'd give these guys an easy job once in a while. They've got it rough, y'know? Right Freddie?" Daisuke lifted his foot, and it meekly rose to his side. "Take five." he added, giving it a reassuring pat on the back before it vanished into a dark portal. He turned to Kouji, still smiling. "Didn't your mom or somebody ever tell you not to poke strange things with a stick?"

"What was that thing?" asked Kouji, now anything but relaxed.

"Dusk," said Ikuto, putting away his boomerang and retrieving the dropped soda bottles. He handed one to Kouji, and seemed to read the question in his eyes. "Not Digimon. Not human either. Nobody." He opened his soda, let it fizz over, and then took a swig before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "They our allies. Help us fight."

"Fight what?" asked Kouji, leaving his soda unopened. "Who are you guys?"

"We're The Leading Lights," explained Taiki, as he and Ryo walked over to the couch. Ryo remained standing while Taiki took a seat next to Ikuto. "We fight to protect the worlds from falling into darkness. _All_ the worlds, not just the human worlds and the Digital Worlds."

"Yeah, we went through a lot of names at first," added Daisuke. "The Radiance, Constellation, Illuminati…" At the back of the building, where the two long white stripes began, a huge black portal opened up. "Oh, look's like they're back! About time!"

A conspicuous warp in the fabric of space was strange enough, and that was before a _train _chugged through it. The locomotive itself was covered in a throbbing mass of silver substance, with several thin tendrils extending from the sides and top that almost made it look like a centipede. It flew over the two white lines, apparently its guide, and gradually came to a stop as fully exited the now-closing portal.

Then suddenly the pulsing armor broke apart, as hundreds, maybe thousands of silver-shield creatures scuttled off the train like fleeing cockroaches before disappearing into their own self-made warps. The train left behind was a plain black old-fashioned steam engine.

"We have arrived at our destination," said the train, making Kouji jump. This train was alive too? Was it a Trailmon? "Everyone please watch your step as you depart." It opened its doors, and everyone got up to greet its passengers.

Stepping out first was a caramel-haired boy wearing a white conductor's outfit, bearing baskets of hot bread and fruit. The aroma of baked goods reminded Kouji that he hadn't eaten anything beyond breakfast yet. "Hi everyone! Lunch is here!"

"Alright Kiichi! You're a lifesaver man!" exclaimed Daisuke, as he promptly nabbed a loaf of bread and took a big bite out of it. Ikuto snatched some rolls without a word before feasting on them.

"How's Twilight Town?" asked Taiki.

"Good. Still no signs of Heartless," answered Kiichi, handing a ham-and-cheese sandwich to Ryo before giving Taiki a provolone one. "It's such a beautiful area, especially since the sky's always at sunset. The people there are so nice too, like the lady who cooked all this stuff for us." He finally saw Kouji next to Ikuto. "Oh, I didn't know we had a guest! Good thing we brought some extra." He turned back to the open doors. "Mr. Knight, sir!"

There was something about seeing a knight weighed down with baskets of food that almost made Kouji laugh. He was an impressive sight otherwise, being very tall and with armor bright white, with glossy patterns of chains lining the arms, legs and front of the helmet. He walked over to Kouji and paused, not saying anything. He titled his head, as if he was puzzled.

Kouji felt the mental echo more than he heard its metallic ring. Its message was unfocused, but it carried feelings of uncertainty and curiosity, and a general inquiry of _Have we met?_

Kouji wasn't sure how to reply to this distorted communication, and soon any answer was ejected out of his mind. For stepping off the train next was a man in a white robe with long silver hair and a beard, looking almost identical to their last encounter.

_The Void Man!_ thought Kouji. At least, that was what Kouichi had called him, when Kouji had asked him more about the matter later. So the Void Man it was, until he bothered to offer up his real name.

"Something wrong?" asked Ikuto, as Kouji tensed. "No like knight? Don't worry, knight mean well. Knight just awkward."

The Void Man glanced over to Kouji, and ambled down to where Kouji was. The knight moved out of his way. "Is this a new recruit for the cause? Greetings my friend."

Kouji only glared at him. "You're no friend of mine. What are you doing here?" He keenly felt everyone's eyes staring him down, but refused to acknowledge it.

"Kouji!" Ikuto exclaimed. "That rude!"

"Dude, seriously, you don't talk to the old man like that," Daisuke added. "He's our leader, you know."

Kouji kept his gaze on the Void Man. "This guy's your leader?"

The Void Man frowned, but wasn't unsettled. "Yes, I am the commander of the Leading Lights. What are _you_ doing here, if you don't seek our help?" His stone-gray eyes narrowed as he studied Kouji. "Do I know you from elsewhere?"

Kouji was insulted, until he thought about it. _That's right, he's only seen me as KendoGarurumon. He wouldn't know me as a human. _"I know you're a coward who left a world to die. That's all I need to know."

Recognition flashed in the Void Man's eyes. "You're the wolf. So this is your true form. Did you save that world?"

"Yeah," Kouji answered. "Thanks to my friends. No thanks to you."

"I see," answered the Void Man. "Then I owe you a grave apology. My words and behavior were inexcusable. I'm grateful to have met you again, and to hear you accomplished what I had deemed as impossible." He bowed to Kouji, to the surprised utterances of the others.

Kouji too was taken aback. He had been prepared for a long argument, possibly a battle, not an admission of guilt.

"Uh, when did this happen?" asked Daisuke, walking over. By Daisuke's side was a brunette girl with semi-long hair and white gloves. Kouji guessed this was the much-acclaimed Hikari. Something about the way her eyes scanned him made Kouji nervous.

"I met this boy before I met any of you," the Void Man explained. "It was not long after I had been reborn. I was still unsure of what I had become, or what I should do next. So I drifted from world to world, fighting whatever darkness came my way, until either the darkness or the world fell apart. I had given up on his world, and insulted him for staying to fight, and he rightfully insulted me back. In the end I left, but it made me think: there had to be a better way to combat the darkness. Even in the worst of worlds, there are hearts strong enough and pure enough to keep fighting. Perhaps if I gathered the best of those hearts…"

"Oh, so that's when you started the Leading Lights!" Daisuke interrupted.

The Void Man didn't respond to Daisuke's interjection, instead calmly unsheathing his sword. It appeared to be an ordinary samurai sword, with a few scratches and nicks betraying its age. He raised it in front of his face, his irises shining white, and suddenly the sword erupted with radiance. Kouji could barely look at it, but he could sense the raw power roaring from it. It wasn't just the power of light either, but something more potent, the kind of power he felt whenever he or one of his friends digivolved.

Kouji heard some startled gasps, and saw that the other children's eyes were shining as well, as a white glow enveloped them one by one. They drew closer, silent as specters. Only the knight stayed still, remaining by the Void Man's side.

"You sense it, don't you?" asked the Void Man. "Your heart reacts to the others residing in this blade. It knows its kin."

Kouji couldn't counter, because something in him _was_ reacting. His skin prickled. His heartbeat raced. His feelings were a gnarled tangle of anxiety and anticipation. Why couldn't he make his body move?

"Hikari," said the Void Man. "Help him release his light."

Hikari stepped out of the tight circle of shining bodies (when had they come so close?) and to Kouji. He stayed rooted in place, even as beads of sweat escaped his skin and he started to hyperventilate.

_W-What is all this? _thought Kouji, as Hikari reached out toward him with an almost concerned look on her face. _Why can't I-_

Hikari touched Kouji gently in the middle of his chest, and it was like a star had ignited inside of him. The ethereal heat throbbed through him with every pulse of his ever-quickening heart. It felt so overwhelming and terrifying and wonderful. He opened his eyes and saw that he was glowing. He wondered if his eyes were glowing too, just like theirs.

"Just as I thought," said the Void Man, with a shadow of a smile. "Of course you of all people have the potential to become one of the Leading Lights."

Kouji began to answer, but all that came out was a howl. It was feeble and fragmented at first, as Kouji tried to swallow it back down. The bestial cry grew louder and longer regardless, until Kouji's head craned back and let the howl take reign. His body burned like a thousand suns.

Oh God, it burned, it burned, it _burned_! It was like being dissolved in an acid bath. Kouji's howl transmuted into a scream as his body stretched and distorted. When he finally began to solidify again, hot heavy metal fused on his frame while an equally searing helmet clamped onto the top of his skull. Something streamed out of his neck and spilled out behind him.

When his other senses finally returned to him, he found himself kneeling on the ground panting. The others were staring with their halo eyes, except for the Void Man, who was placing the now-lightless sword back into its sheath. He gaped at his limbs, which were now in the blue-and-silver armor of Lobomon. He was Lobomon now. He had digivolved! He was almost giddy about it.

But this transformation had felt so different. Before, the digivolution had been almost instant, with little to no pain. This time it had been _nothing_ but pain, and even now his muscles shrieked in agony. He was so exhausted, in fact, that he could already feel his Digimon form struggling to hold itself together.

"Now _that's_ impressive," said Taiki, whistling.

"You know something amazing when _Taiki's_ impressed by it," Daisuke said with a smirk. "But seriously, _damn_."

"Wow!" Ikuto exclaimed. "Kouji really digivolve! True Legendary Warrior!"

Then in a moment Kouji's Digimon form and consciousness unraveled, leaving his human self sprawled senseless on the floor.

IIIIII

"_You'll need to learn how to work with your Digimon form outside of the Digital World," _Ryo had said, when Kouji finally came to on the couch. Kiichi was healing him by transferring some of his light energy to him. _"It sounds like this Spirit of Light was more something you equipped than an actual digivolution, kind of like an Armor Digivolution where I'm from. It took a lot of stress out of digivolving, because it wasn't such a drastic change. You were data back in the Digital World too. But now you don't have either of those advantages, so you're changing, all by yourself, from flesh-and-blood into data and electricity. No wonder it hurt so much. But if you managed to pull off the full digivolution in the first place, then I have no doubt you can adapt and learn to use it effectively in the real worlds. Especially if you have the master train you."_

The Void Man…Kouji still didn't know his real name. He hadn't thought to ask. Ryo called him Master. Ikuto called him Mister. Daisuke called him the Old Man. Everyone else called him Sir. Kouji was beginning to wonder if he had a real name at all.

"_See again soon!" _Ikuto had said, as Kouji left the hideout. Kouji didn't know if he meant that he would be visiting him soon, or if he expected him to return soon. Kouji told himself that he didn't know whether he would come back, or even if he would accept another of Ikuto's challenges. But he had returned the goodbye with a friendly wave.

Kouji arrived back home to find that no one was there to greet him. His father and stepmother had left for another appointment with Kouichi, and had left a quick dinner in the fridge. Kouji left it there and headed into his room, where he mindlessly plucked the strings of his guitar. His entire body still had a lingering soreness, and his fingertips were sensitive to the instrument's filaments pressing against his skin. Soon he curled up into bed and huddled under the covers, willing for sleep to come. After that searing light, everything else felt so cold.

"_We're The Leading Lights_," Taiki had said. "_We fight to protect the worlds from falling into darkness. _All_ the worlds."_

"_You of all people have the potential to become one of the Leading Lights_," said the Void Man.

He felt so cold.

_IIIIII_

_And this is just the beginning :). Well, the first chapter for this bit, anyway. Looks like the fic will be more about 9-10 chapters. Oh well. What do you think of The Leading Lights so far? (Granted, some barely did anything this chapter, but that will be fixed in future chapters, as well as backstory and other general details that need to be addressed). Does Kouji seem IC here?_

_Might be a little while until the next post. I might try to write out the rest of this arc before deciding whether or not it needs to be split into two chapters. We'll see. _


End file.
